Subsea fluid storage unit, method of storing a fluid underwater

Abstract

A modular subsea fluid storage unit comprises a variable-volume inner tank having a rigid top panel and a peripheral wall that is flexible by virtue of concertina formations. The peripheral wall is extensible and retractable vertically while the horizontal width of the tank remains substantially unchanged. A side wall of a lower housing part surrounds and is spaced horizontally from the peripheral wall of the inner tank to define a floodable gap between the peripheral wall and the side wall that surrounds the tank. An upper housing part extends over and is vertically spaced from the top panel of the inner tank and overlaps the side wall to enclose the inner tank. The floodable gap and the upper housing part enhance thermal insulation and trap any fluids that may leak from the inner tank.

Description

[0001] This invention relates to a subsea fluid storage unit and a method for the storage of fluids such as crude oil or natural gas subsea, and particularly to the challenges of retaining heat in fluids stored underwater, maintaining a subsea storage facility and containing any leakage of stored fluids.

[0002] The background to the invention is the challenge of developing marginal subsea oil fields, including small, remote or inaccessible fields. To address that challenge, it is necessary to minimise the cost of production and related capital investment and to simplify the installation and operation of the necessary subsea infrastructure.

[0003] Offshore exploration for oil and gas is being performed in ever more challenging waters, with fields now being developed in water depths of 3000 metres or even more. To recover hydrocarbons from such depths, the designers of riser and offloading systems face various technical challenges. Metocean characteristics and relatively low reservoir temperatures compound those challenges.

[0004] A typical subsea oil production system comprises production wells each with a wellhead; pipelines running on the seabed; subsea structures to support valves and connectors; subsea manifolds; and risers to bring production fluids to the surface. At the surface, a topside installation, which can be a platform or a vessel, receives the production fluids before their onward transportation.

[0005] Crude oil is a multiphase fluid. Specifically, a wellstream generally contains a mixture of sand, oil, water and gas. Also, the wellstream is hot at the outlet of the wellhead, typically around 200°C. If its temperature decreases below a certain threshold, at a given pressure, components of the wellstream may react together or individually to gel, coalesce, coagulate or precipitate as solid waxes, asphaltenes or hydrates. For example, wax will typically appear in oil at a temperature of around 30°C. An accumulation of such solids could eventually plug a pipeline.

[0006] A blockage in a subsea pipeline is extremely disruptive and expensive to rectify. It is therefore a common objective to maintain the oil temperature above the critical threshold until the oil has been delivered to a topside installation. There, the oil can be treated to allow the treated oil to be transported at ambient temperature in tankers or in pipelines.

[0007] To reduce the cost of producing oil from marginal subsea fields, one approach is to simplify subsea equipment as much as possible, for example by using a long pipeline extending from a wellhead and minimal additional equipment subsea. A challenge of that approach is that pipeline cost becomes a large element of the cost of development where fields are isolated or remote.

[0008] In this respect, conventional solutions to maintain oil temperature employ 'wet' thermal insulation, which involves covering the pipeline with thermally-insulating materials. The pipeline may also be heated by electrical heating or by heat transfer from hot fluids. However, as some pipelines may be very long, in some cases longer than 100km, such solutions can become inordinately expensive.

[0009] Another approach adopts an opposite tactic, namely to transfer at least some conventionally-topside production and storage functions to a subsea location for intermittent export of oil by tanker vessels. By displacing at least some oil processing steps from topside to the seabed, there is less need for thermal insulation or heating of subsea pipelines. The present invention arises from this second approach, which involves subsea storage of produced oil.

[0010] Subsea storage units for hydrocarbons face various technical challenges. A key challenge is to handle pressure differentials between external hydrostatic pressure and variable internal pressure. Such units must also provide for a variable internal volume as they are filled with, and emptied of, hydrocarbons. They must also deal with a substantial temperature difference between their contents and the surrounding seawater, which is uniformly at about 4°C at depths in excess of 1000m.

[0011] In deep water, the need to withstand hydrostatic pressure makes rigid subsea storage tanks impractical. For example, in a water depth of around 2000m, the hydrostatic pressure will be about 200 bars. This would necessitate an impractically large and heavy tank that would also be difficult to install. Thus, many proposed subsea units for storing hydrocarbons employ an internal expandable bag or bladder.

[0012] The use of a bladder or a deformable membrane addresses the problem of differential pressure so that internal and external pressures are balanced. However, such a bladder or membrane requires fine pressure management to avoid bursting.

[0013] EP 1554197 and WO 2016 / 116625 disclose typical subsea storage tanks in which a storage bag is located within a rigid support frame. Such a storage system requires additional pumps for managing differential pressure. US 2016 / 319652 and WO 95 / 23749 disclose other designs of subsea storage tank with a flexible bladder or bag within a protective rigid structure.

[0014] US 2016 / 023843 discloses a further example of a subsea storage tank including an inner collapsible bladder within a rigid outer vessel. The vessel comprises a top port, a bottom port, and an internal vessel volume. The deformable bladder comprises a first end and a second end. The second end may comprise a bladder opening that may be fluidically connected to a top port or a bottom port of the vessel. The deformable bladder may define an internal bladder volume suitable for storage of fluids and / or chemicals.. However, US 2016 / 023843 does not make any provision for thermal insulation of the fluid within the inner bladder, and the tank appears to be intended for storing chemicals at the local ambient temperature.

[0015] US 9540169 discloses a subsea storage tank containing a bladder that comprises tandem or sandwich fluid barriers. In US 9470365, storage is provided by inner and outer bags that are enclosed within a casing with a removable cover.

[0016] WO 2016 / 179371 discloses a subsea storage container that has an internal flexible storage volume. The problem of pressure compensation is addressed by balancing the inner and external pressure through a piping and valve arrangement that also provides a ballasting system for installation. However, this solution is heavy and would be difficult to recover and to maintain or to repair in case of leakage. Also, no provisions are made for thermal insulation of the storage volume or of the surrounding container.

[0017] FR 2776274 replaces a bladder with a mobile plate that can travel up and down inside a rigid storage tank like a piston. No pressure compensation is needed because the stored fluid is substantially at hydrostatic pressure, thanks to a volume of seawater in the lower part of the storage tank. The plate isolates this volume of seawater from the storage space. Seals allow the plate to close the transverse section of the tank, although it is a challenge to ensure tight sealing of the storage volume in a way that allows the plate to move.

[0018] A key drawback of the system disclosed in FR 2776274 is that the storage volume is only separated from cold seawater by a wall. The wall therefore requires thick layers of thermal insulation to isolate the stored fluid from cold seawater in case hydrates, asphaltenes or waxes could form when the stored fluid is crude oil or natural gas. Additionally, there is a risk that any leakage of the stored fluid will escape into the marine environment.

[0019] US 2016 / 023843 describes a subsea fluid storage system that is designed to compensate for subsea pressure changes by varying the volume of an expandable bladder. Similarly, DE 60304594 describes another subsea storage unit having a flexible balloon within an external casing. EP 2610881 describes pressure compensators for use at a subsea location.

[0020] Against this background, there is described a subsea fluid storage unit according to claim 1.

[0021] The side wall is preferably thermally insulated. More generally, the side wall preferably has lower thermal transmittance than the peripheral wall of the inner tank.

[0022] The inner tank is closed by a bottom plate that extends in the horizontal direction along a bottom edge of the peripheral wall. The bottom plate projects beyond the peripheral wall in the horizontal direction. This leaves a clearance, preferably a sliding clearance, between the bottom plate and the side wall that is narrower horizontally than the floodable gap. Conveniently, the bottom plate can support a heating system for heating fluid contents of the tank in use.

[0023] The peripheral wall is preferably flexible but suitably has greater stiffness in the horizontal direction than in the vertical direction. For example, the peripheral wall may comprise folded or hinged formations that are expandable in the manner of a concertina.

[0024] The side wall is contiguous with a base to define a floodable enclosure that extends beneath the inner tank, which enclosure suitably communicates with the floodable gap. The base may be thermally insulated. A seawater inlet / outlet may communicate between the enclosure and an ambient body of seawater in which the storage tank is submerged.

[0025] The inner tank closes an open top of the enclosure. The rigid top panel of the inner tank is supported by the side wall. For this purpose, the side wall supports a hanging flange of the top panel that projects beyond the peripheral wall in the horizontal direction. The hanging flange sits on top of a support flange that surmounts the side wall.

[0026] The storage unit may comprise a leakage sensor that is arranged to sense any fluid in the floodable gap leaked from the inner tank. A drainage line suitably communicates with the floodable gap to drain the leaked fluid.

[0027] The rigid top panel of the inner tank may rise inwardly from the side wall to an elevated gas trap chamber for trapping gas rising from a fluid in the inner tank.

[0028] Subsea-releasable fastenings may act between the inner tank and the side wall, for example in tension.

[0029] At least a portion of the side wall may be substantially flat. This facilitates grouping two or more units side-by-side. In this respect, the inventive concept embraces a group of units of the invention, coupled together for fluid communication between the inner tanks of the group. The units of such a group may, for example, be arranged in an elongate towable array.

[0030] The inventive concept extends to a method according to claim 18 for storing a fluid underwater, which fluid is warmer than ambient water. The method comprises: holding the fluid in a tank that has a peripheral wall; conducting heat from the fluid through the peripheral wall to heat water in a gap defined between the peripheral wall and a side wall outside the peripheral wall; and holding the heated water in the gap. The volume of the tank may be varied by extending or retracting the peripheral wall while holding the heated water in the gap.

[0031] Heat transfer through the side wall is preferably resisted by means of at least one thermally insulating layer that is incorporated in or attached to the side wall.

[0032] The heated water may be held in the gap by confining the heated water above a body of cooler water. For example, the body of cooler water may itself be confined in an enclosure that extends under the tank. The heated water is held in the gap by confining the heated water above a plate that extends from the peripheral wall toward the side wall and by confining the heated water under a closed top that extends from the peripheral wall to the side wall. The side wall supports a hanging flange of a rigid top panel of the tank that projects beyond the peripheral wall in the horizontal direction. The hanging flange sits on top of a support flange that surmounts the side wall.

[0033] In summary, the invention proposes a new and safe way of storing crude oil or other fluids subsea. A typical application of the invention is in a small pool field where the distance to the nearest host is too far or existing infrastructure does not have the capacity to handle more crude oil.

[0034] The invention provides a subsea storage tank for crude oil or other fluids that defines a double or triple barrier against leakage of the stored fluid into the sea. The tank functions at all depths, being pressure compensated, and isolates seawater and hydrocarbons both thermally and physically, hence reducing the problems of wax and hydrate formation. In this respect, it is possible to integrate electrical heating into one or more constructional elements of the tank. Also, as there is no contact between oil and seawater, no emulsion formation or bacteria growth will ensue at an oil / water interface.

[0035] In order that the invention may be more readily understood, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a subsea storage unit of the invention, when assembled; Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the storage unit shown in Figure 1, showing the main elements of the unit as a general arrangement; Figure 3 is an exploded side view of the storage unit shown in Figures 1 and 2; Figure 4 is a sectional side view of the storage unit shown in Figure 3, when assembled and part-full of oil; Figure 5 is an enlarged detail view of the storage unit shown in Figure 4, when substantially full of oil; Figures 6a, 6b and 6c are a sequence of side view of the storage unit being assembled from modular components underwater; Figures 7a, 7b and 7c are a sequence of perspective views of an inner tank of the storage unit expanding progressively by virtue of a collapsible peripheral wall as it is filled with oil; Figures 8a, 8b and 8c are a sequence of cut-away side views corresponding to the sequence of views in Figures 7a, 7b and 7c but showing the whole storage unit; Figure 9 is a cut-away perspective view of an upper part of the storage unit; Figure 10 is an enlarged view showing how the upper part of the storage unit is shaped to trap leaked oil; Figure 11 is a sectional side view corresponding to Figure 4 but showing further features of the storage unit for sensing and removing leaked oil; Figure 12 is a perspective view of a group of storage units of the invention being towed to an installation site; Figure 13 is a perspective view of a PLET that incorporates a group of storage units of the invention; and Figure 14 is a perspective view of groups of subsea storage units of the invention connected to a subsea production system in a small pool layout.

[0036] Figures 1 to 4 of the drawings show a subsea storage unit 10 of the invention that comprises an expandable inner tank 12. The inner tank 12 is sandwiched between, and contained for expansion within, an upper part 14 and a lower part 16 that fit together telescopically to form a hollow rigid housing.

[0037] In this example, the storage unit 10 is generally rectangular in plan view. This is advantageous for space efficiency, as it allows the storage unit 10 to abut other flat-sided storage units 10 or other flat-sided structures that have straight sides in plan view. However, in principle, the storage unit 10 could have another shape in plan view, such as a circular shape.

[0038] The inner tank 12 comprises a collapsible enclosure that is defined between a top panel 18 and a bottom plate 20, connected by and sealed to a flexible peripheral wall 22. The peripheral wall 22 and the bottom plate 20 hang from the top panel 18. The peripheral wall 22 surrounds and encircles a storage volume of the inner tank 12 and is continuous in a horizontal plane.

[0039] In use, the inner tank 12 stores a fluid, such as crude oil 24, natural gas or oily produced water. Advantageously, the inner tank 12 prevents contact between the oil 24 stored in the inner tank 12 and the surrounding seawater 26. This minimises the risk of hydrate formation and avoids an emulsion forming or bacterial growth at an oil / water interface.

[0040] The top panel 18 and the bottom plate 20 are substantially rigid whereas the peripheral wall 22 between them is flexible so as to be extensible and retractable vertically. The peripheral wall 22 may, for example, be made of textile or polyester woven yarn coated with an impermeable layer of polymer on either or both sides. Extension and retraction of the peripheral wall 22 varies the volume of the enclosure in accordance with a variable volume of oil 24 that is held within the enclosure.

[0041] The upper part 14, lower part 16, top panel 18 and bottom plate 20 are all apt to be produced in respective moulds, for example by laying-up GRP. Such moulds can be reused to manufacture multiple storage units 10 in series.

[0042] The upper part 14 of the storage unit 10 has a continuous open-bottomed skirt 28 that depends downwardly from, and is contiguous with, a gable roof 30. Oppositely-inclined sections 32, 34 of the roof 30 join the skirt 28 at respective shoulders 36 and meet centrally at a rounded ridge 38. Viewed externally, the sections 32, 34 of the roof 30 have concave curvature; consequently, the ridge 38 bulges upwardly in side view.

[0043] The upper part 14 is suitably designed to withstand over-trawling of the storage unit 10 and to resist damage to the storage unit 10 in the event that an object is dropped onto the storage unit 10, for example from a vessel on the surface above.

[0044] The lower part 16 of the storage unit 10 has a continuous open-topped side wall 40 that extends upwardly from, and is contiguous with, a flat base 42. The side wall 40 is surmounted by an outwardly-extending support flange 44 and is surrounded by a ledge 46 at an intermediate level between the base 42 and the support flange 44.

[0045] The upper part 14 and the lower part 16 of the storage unit 10 correspond in plan shape, as defined respectively by the skirt 28 and the side wall 40. However, the upper part 14 has greater length and width so as to overlap the lower part 16 in plan view. The overlap is such that the upper portion of the side wall 40 above the ledge 46 is surrounded by, and received telescopically in, the skirt 28. The bottom edge of the skirt 28 rests on the ledge 46 that protrudes from the side wall 40. As best appreciated in Figures 3 and 4, the ledge 46 has a downwardly-tapering underside that avoids the bottom edge of the skirt 28 being snagged in the event of over-trawling.

[0046] The top panel 18 of the inner tank 12 closes the open top of the lower part 16 defined by the side wall 40. For this purpose, the top panel 18 extends laterally beyond the peripheral wall 22 of the inner tank 12 to form a hanging flange 48. When the inner tank 12 is placed onto the lower part 16, the hanging flange 48 sits on top of the support flange 44 that surmounts the side wall 40 of the lower part 16.

[0047] The interface between the hanging flange 48 and the support flange 44 need not be a fully-sealed connection. However, a gasket could be interposed between the hanging flange 48 and the support flange 44 to improve sealing.

[0048] One or more ROV-accessible clamps or locking pins 50 fix the hanging flange 48 of the inner tank 12 to the support flange 44 of the lower part 16. This connection acts in tension to transfer uplift forces from the inner tank 12, due to buoyancy of the oil 24 within, to the lower part 16 and from there to a subsea foundation 52 on the seabed 54. The lower part 16 is therefore attached to the foundation 52 in a manner that resists buoyant upthrust, for example with bolts that extend from the lower part 16 into the foundation 52.

[0049] When the upper part 14 of the storage unit 10 is placed on top of the assembly of the inner tank 12 and the lower part 16, the hanging flange 48 of the inner tank 12 is sandwiched between the support flange 44 of the lower part 16 and the shoulders 36 of the upper part 14. The upper part 14 may have negative buoyancy to apply stabilising weight forces to the inner tank 12 and the lower part 16. The upper part 14 may additionally be fastened to the inner tank 12 and / or to the lower part 16, for example by bolts or clamps.

[0050] The peripheral wall 22 of the inner tank 12 hangs within the side wall 40 of the lower part 16, with lateral clearance being maintained by a gap 56 between the peripheral wall 22 and the side wall 40. There should be no contact and hence no friction between the peripheral wall 22 and the side wall 40. The gap 56 entirely surrounds the peripheral wall 22 in a horizontal plane and so is annular, continuous or encircling.

[0051] The peripheral wall 22 of the inner tank 12 is shaped with folded, collapsible bellows-like concertina formations 58 that are flexible or hinged so that the peripheral wall 22 can extend downwardly into the lower part 16 like a concertina as the inner tank 12 fills with oil 24 as shown in Figure 4. The length and width of the peripheral wall 22 remain substantially constant during this downward extension, apart from minor localised straightening of the concertina formations 58. Thus, the gap 56 between the peripheral wall 22 and the side wall 40 of the lower part 16 remains substantially constant as the bottom plate 20 of the inner tank 12 moves up and down within the lower part 16.

[0052] The substantially flat and horizontal bottom plate 20 of the inner tank 12 hangs from, and closes the bottom of, the peripheral wall 22. The bottom plate 20 matches the shape of the side wall 40 of the lower part 16 in plan view and extends laterally beyond the peripheral wall 22 of the inner tank 12. This holds the peripheral wall 22 away from the side wall 40 to preserve the gap 56, regardless of hinging movement of the concertina formations 58.

[0053] As best seen in the enlarged view of Figure 5, a small lateral clearance 60 is left between the outer edge of the bottom plate 20 and the side wall 40. Like the gap 56, the clearance 60 is continuous in a horizontal plane and extends around the full periphery of the bottom plate 20. The clearance 60 is substantially narrower than the gap 56 between the peripheral wall 22 and the side wall 40, above the level of the bottom plate 20. There may be some sliding contact between one or two sides of the bottom plate 20 and the side wall 40 as the bottom plate 20 moves up and down within the lower part 16.

[0054] Alternatively or in combination, the projecting rectangular ring of the bottom plate 20 spanning between the peripheral wall 22 and the side wall 40 can comprise holes, bores or passages for seawater 26 to pass through the bottom plate 20.

[0055] Seawater 26 in the gap 56 between the peripheral wall 22 and the side wall 40, trapped under the hanging flange 48, will be heated by thermal conduction through the peripheral wall 22 from hot oil 24 stored within the inner tank 12. In view of the lower density of the warmer seawater 26 and the narrow clearance 60 between the bottom plate 20 and the side wall 40, there is very little exchange between the heated seawater 26 in the gap 56 and the slightly cooler seawater 26 in the lower part 16 under the bottom plate 20.

[0056] The ambient temperature of the seawater 26 surrounding the storage unit 10 will typically be 4°C in deep water. If the oil 24 in the inner tank 12 is at a temperature of 70°C then, as a non-limiting illustration, the seawater 26 in the lower part 16 under the bottom plate 20 may settle at a temperature of about 35°C and the seawater 26 in the gap 56 between the peripheral wall 22 and the side wall 40 may settle at a temperature of about 55°C. The warmth and thickness of the bodies of seawater 26 at those locations, and especially in the gap 56 surrounding the uninsulated peripheral wall 22, thermally insulates the inner tank 12 and so helps to retain heat in the oil 24 stored within.

[0057] Thermal insulation of the inner tank 12 is further assured by seawater 26 that floods the space between the side wall 40 and the surrounding skirt 28 of the upper part 14. That space accommodates the laterally-projecting support flange 44 and is closed by the ledge 46.

[0058] In addition to anchoring the storage unit 10 to the seabed 54 via the foundation 52, the lower part 16 controls the ingress and egress of seawater 26 into the storage unit 10 as ballast and as further thermal insulation. For this purpose, a seawater ballast pipe 62 near the seabed 54 as shown in Figures 3 to 5 allows untreated seawater 26 to flow into or out of the lower part 16 of the storage unit 10, in accordance with the degree of extension and hence displacement of the inner tank 12. The seawater ballast pipe 62 suitably has a filter or grid to filter out possible obstructions.

[0059] Figure 5 shows that the side wall 40 and base 42 of the lower part 16 are advantageously of sandwich construction comprising a thermally-insulating core 64 between skins 66 of GRP or other substantially impermeable materials. The core 64 is suitably of a foam such as syntactic foam to resist hydrostatic pressure. The bottom plate 20 of the inner tank 12 is of similar sandwich construction, as is the top panel 18 of the inner tank 12.

[0060] Figure 5 also shows that, optionally, the bottom plate 20 of the inner tank 12 has heating elements 68 to maintain the temperature of the oil stored in the inner tank 12. Where the heating elements 68 are electrically powered, a cable (not shown) suitably hangs from the top panel 18 of the inner tank 12 to provide power to the heating elements 68. The heating elements 68 could take another form, such as a heating mat.

[0061] Moving on now to Figures 6a, 6b and 6c, it will be apparent that the storage unit 10 can be assembled underwater by lowering its main components to the subsea foundation 52 separately and in succession. These relatively light loads reduce reliance on expensive heavy-lift vessels and favourable sea states. Specifically, the lower part 16 is first fixed to the subsea foundation 52 as shown in Figure 6a, which also shows the inner tank 12 in a fully-collapsed state while being lowered through the water column toward the lower part 16. Next, the inner tank 12 is fixed to the lower part 16 as shown in Figure 6b, which also shows the upper part 14 being lowered through the water column toward the assembly of inner tank 12 and the lower part 16. Finally, the upper part 14 is fixed to the assembly of the inner tank 12 and the lower part 16. The storage unit 10 can be disassembled in reverse order.

[0062] It will also be apparent that, if needs be, the inner tank 12 can be removed and replaced underwater by lifting the upper part 14 away from the lower part 16 temporarily, without removing the lower part 16 from the foundation 52. The upper part 14 could be raised to the surface or left temporarily on the seabed 54 beside the lower part 16 while the inner tank 12 is being removed and replaced.

[0063] Figures 7a, 7b and 7c show the inner tank 12 in isolation. The inner tank 12 is shown here expanding progressively, as it would when being filled with oil 24, which causes the bottom plate 20 to move away from the top panel 18 as the peripheral wall 22 extends downwardly. The inner tank 12 thereby expands from a fully-collapsed state shown in Figure 7a through a partially-filled intermediate state shown in Figure 7b to a fully-filled, fully-extended state shown in Figure 7c. Advantageously, when in the fully-collapsed state shown in Figure 7a and also in Figure 6a, the inner tank 12 can more easily handle changes of hydrostatic pressure when being lowered through the water column for installation subsea.

[0064] Correspondingly, Figure 8a shows the lower part 16 of the storage unit 10 full of seawater 26 in the space vacated by the fully-collapsed inner tank 12 as shown in Figure 7a. Figure 8b shows the inner tank 12 in the partially-filled intermediate state shown in Figure 7b, having displaced about half of the seawater 26 from the lower part 16 through the seawater ballast pipe 62. Figure 8c shows the inner tank 12 in the fully-extended state shown in Figure 7c, having displaced most of the remaining seawater 26 from the lower part 16 through the seawater ballast pipe 62. In both Figures 8b and 8c, it will be apparent that an insulating shroud of warm seawater 26 remains in the gap 56 between the peripheral wall 22 of the inner tank 12 and the side wall 40 of the lower part 16.

[0065] When the storage unit 10 starts to be filled with oil 24, wax could form in the oil 24 due to the temperature gradient between the seawater 26 and the oil 24. However as the volume of oil 24 increases with continued filling, the wax will melt due to the heat of the enlarged body of oil 24 increasing the temperature of the wax.

[0066] The top panel 18 of the inner tank 12 has a shallowly-arched shape in side view, hence having convex curvature when viewed from above. Oil 24 flows into and out of the inner tank 12 through an inlet / outlet pipe 70 that enters the top panel 18 at its highest point defined by its central apex. The inlet / outlet pipe 70 extends externally along the top panel 18 and then down one side of the inner tank 12. An integral channel 72 in one of the inclined sections 32 of the roof 30, best seen in Figures 1 and 2, accommodates and protects the inlet / outlet pipe 70 when the upper part 14 is lowered onto the inner tank 12.

[0067] The arched shape adds stiffness to the top panel 18. The arched shape also gathers any gas that separates and rises from the oil in the inner tank 12 and directs that gas toward and into a gas collection chamber defined under an upwardly-protruding bell-shaped central blister 74. The blister 74 supports a sensor and transmitter 76 that monitors the pressure or level of gas in the chamber under the blister 74 so that the gas can be drawn off when necessary.

[0068] Gas is drawn off from the gas collection chamber under the blister 74 via a gas outlet pipe 78 that, like the inlet / outlet pipe 70, extends externally along the top panel 18 and then down one side of the inner tank 12. As will be apparent from Figure 4 of the drawings, the blister 74 is at the central apex of the top panel 18 in alignment with, and accommodated under, the ridge 38 at the top of the upper part 14.

[0069] The top panel 18 also carries one or more sensors 80 for parameters such as the volume or temperature of oil 24 in the inner tank 12. For example, the sensor 80 may comprise an acoustic transducer for measuring the depth of the oil 24 in the inner tank 12.

[0070] The upper part 14 defines a continuous secondary shell or barrier to catch any oil 24 that may leak from the inner tank 12. Beneficially, no pipe connections or other penetrations need to penetrate the shell that constitutes the upper part 14. In this respect, reference is made to Figures 8 and 9.

[0071] Figure 9 shows the underside of the ridge 38 at the top of the upper part 14. The integral channel 72 in one of the inclined sections 32 of the roof 30 accommodates a drainage pipe 82 that terminates at its upper end within the protrusion of the ridge 38.

[0072] Figure 10 shows that the ridge 38 defines a fluid trap chamber that gathers and traps any droplets of oil 24 that may rise from the inner tank 12 beneath the upper part 14 of the storage unit 10. The resulting oily water 84 may then be drained away through the drainage pipe 82. In this respect, Figure 11 shows an oil leak detector 86 positioned in the space under the ridge 38. A pump 88 is responsive to a signal from the oil leak detector 86 to draw the oily water 84 into the drainage pipe 80.

[0073] Figure 11 shows further features of the storage unit 10 for sensing and removing leaked oil. Specifically, another oil leak detector 90 is positioned at the top of the gap 56 between the peripheral wall 22 of the inner tank 12 and the side wall 40 of the lower part 16. A drainage line 92 communicates with the top of the gap 56. If the oil leak detector 90 detects oily water 84 in the gap 56, a pump 94 is activated to draw the oily water 84 into the drainage line 92.

[0074] If either of the oil leak detectors 86, 90 detect a substantial leak of oil 24, an emergency procedure may be activated. The emergency procedure involves closing the inlet / outlet pipe 70 to prevent further intake of oil 24 and closing a valve 96 in the seawater ballast pipe 62. The leak is then stopped and under control. A shuttle tanker can then visit the storage unit 10 to empty the inner tank 12 by offloading the oil 24 as normal.

[0075] Oily water trapped in the space under the ridge 38 or in the gap 56 is pumped through the drainage pipe 80 or the drainage line 92, as appropriate, and into a slop tank onboard the shuttle tanker, or into another treatment or storage facility such as a neighbouring storage unit 10. The defective storage unit 10 is then ready to be dismantled and inspected before being refitted with a new inner tank 12.

[0076] It will be apparent that the storage unit 10 of the invention provides at least two barriers to leakage of a stored fluid such as crude oil. The first barrier is between the peripheral wall 22 of the inner tank 12 and the surrounding lower part 16. The second barrier is between the upper part 14 and the surrounding seawater 26. The upper part 14 that defines this second barrier has an inner volume that will capture leaking fluid. A third barrier may be defined if a sealed connection is made between the lower part 16 and the top panel 18 of the inner tank 12.

[0077] Turning finally to Figures 12 to 14, these drawings show various ways in which storage units 10 of the invention may be used. In each case, multiple storage units 10 are interconnected in a group 98 that provides redundancy and extra storage volume. It is possible for the storage units 10 of a group 98 to contain different fluids, such as crude oil in one storage unit 10 and natural gas in another storage unit 10.

[0078] Figure 12 shows a group 98 of storage units 10 that are disposed end-to-end in a row as an elongate linear array. The group 98 is supported on a towable installation frame 100 that can be sunk to the seabed while carrying the entire group 98. This exemplifies how storage units 10 need not necessarily be installed individually or in multiple lifts of modular components.

[0079] Figure 13 shows a group 98 of storage units 10 in a square array integrated with a pipeline end termination (PLET) 102.

[0080] Figure 14 shows a subsea installation 104 that comprises two groups 98 of storage units 10. The groups 98 are each connected to a subsea processing or production system 106 to receive treated crude oil or natural gas. In this example, each group 98 is an elongate linear array, like that shown in Figure 12, and is apt to have been transported to the installation site by towing.

[0081] Many variations are possible within the inventive concept. For example, the skirt 28 of the upper part 14 could extend further down the side wall 40 of the lower part 16. Potentially, the skirt 28 could extend in parallel to the side wall 40 for substantially the full height of the side wall 40. The ledge 46 could therefore be positioned differently on the side wall 40 or omitted, in which case the weight of the upper part 14 could be supported at the top of the side wall 40.

Claims

1. A subsea fluid storage unit (10), comprising: a variable-volume inner tank (12) having a rigid top panel (18) and a peripheral wall (22) that is extensible and retractable in a vertical direction to vary a height dimension of the tank (12) while the tank (12) remains of substantially unchanged width in a horizontal direction; and a lower part (16) comprising a side wall (40) surrounding and spaced from the peripheral wall (22) of the inner tank (12) in the horizontal direction to define a floodable gap (56) that surrounds the tank (12) between the peripheral wall (22) and the side wall (40), wherein the floodable gap (56) has a closed top, and wherein the side wall (40) is contiguous with a base (42) to define a floodable enclosure (26) extending beneath the inner tank (12), wherein the rigid top panel (18) of the inner tank (12) for closing an open top of the enclosure (26) is supported by the side wall (40), wherein the side wall (40) supports a hanging flange (48) of the rigid top panel (18) that projects beyond the peripheral wall (22) in the horizontal direction, wherein the hanging flange (48) sits on top of a support flange (44) that surmounts the side wall (40) of the lower part (16), when the inner tank (12) is placed onto the lower part (16); wherein the inner tank (12) closes the open top of the enclosure (26) and is closed by a bottom plate (20) that extends in the horizontal direction along a bottom edge of the peripheral wall (22), wherein the bottom plate (20) projects beyond the peripheral wall (22) in the horizontal direction such that a clearance between the bottom plate (20) and the side wall (40) is narrower horizontally than the floodable gap (56).

2. The unit (10) of Claim 1, wherein the clearance between the bottom plate (20) and the side wall (40) is a sliding clearance.

3. The unit (10) of Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the bottom plate (20) supports a heating system for heating fluid contents of the tank (12) in use.

4. The unit (10) of any preceding claim, wherein the side wall (40) is thermally insulated.

5. The unit (10) of any preceding claim, wherein the side wall (40) has lower thermal transmittance than the peripheral wall (22) of the inner tank (12).

6. The unit (10) of any preceding claim, wherein the peripheral wall (22) is flexible.

7. The unit (10) of Claim 6, wherein the peripheral wall (22) has greater stiffness in the horizontal direction than in the vertical direction.

8. The unit (10) of Claim 6 or Claim 7, wherein the peripheral wall (22) comprises folded or hinged formations that are expandable in the manner of a concertina.

9. The unit (10) of any preceding claim, wherein the floodable enclosure (26) communicates with the floodable gap (56).

10. The unit (10) of any preceding claim, wherein the base (42) is thermally insulated.

11. The unit (10) of any of any preceding claim, further comprising a seawater inlet / outlet (62) communicating with the enclosure (26).

12. The unit (10) of any preceding claim, further comprising a leakage sensor (90) arranged to sense fluid in the floodable gap (56) leaked from the inner tank (12) and a drainage line (92) that communicates with the floodable gap (56) to drain the leaked fluid.

13. The unit (10) of any preceding claim, wherein the rigid top panel (18) of the inner tank (12) rises inwardly from the side wall (40) to an elevated gas trap chamber (74) for trapping gas rising from a fluid in the inner tank (12).

14. The unit (10) of any preceding claim, comprising subsea-releasable fastenings (50) acting in tension between the inner tank (12) and the side wall (40).

15. The unit (10) of any preceding claim, wherein the side wall (40) has at least a portion that is substantially flat.

16. A group (98) of units (10) of any preceding claim, coupled together for fluid communication between the inner tanks (12) of the group (98).

17. The group (98) of Claim 16, wherein the units (10) are arranged in an elongate towable array.

18. A method of storing a fluid underwater, which fluid is warmer than ambient water, the method comprising: providing a subsea fluid storage unit according to any of claims 1-15; holding the fluid in a tank (12) that has a peripheral wall (22); conducting heat from the fluid through the peripheral wall (22) to heat water in a gap (56) defined between the peripheral wall (22) and a side wall (40) outside the peripheral wall (22); and holding the heated water in the gap (56) by confining the heated water above a plate (20) that extends from the peripheral wall (22) toward the side wall (40) and under a closed top that extends from the peripheral wall (22) to the side wall (40).

19. The method of Claim 18, comprising resisting heat transfer through the side wall (40) by means of at least one thermally insulating layer incorporated in or attached to the side wall (40).

20. The method of Claim 18 or Claim 19, comprising holding the heated water in the gap (56) by confining the heated water above a body of cooler water.

21. The method of Claim 20, comprising confining the body of cooler water in an enclosure (26) that extends under the tank (12).

22. The method of any of Claims 18 to 21, comprising varying the volume of the tank (12) by extending or retracting the peripheral wall (22) while holding the heated water in the gap (56).

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